Monday, June 25, 2012

I realize that I'm starting with #6 of this series but I PROMISE you that if you go back and read the other 5 in the series: The Diva Runs Out of Thyme; The Diva Takes the Cake; The Diva Paints the Town; The Diva Cooks a Goose; The Diva Haunts the House : you won't be sorry about reading this wonderful and surprising mystery series. Davis is wonderful at creating scenes for the main character, Sophie Winston, to get into and her counterpart, Natasha (who you love to hate), to get in her way and try to out do her. Mixed with murder, mystery, love and great food/drink recipes these books leave you wanting more and more from author Krista Davis. I think one of the best things about this book is the way Davis portrays the relationship between Sophie and her ex husband Mars - a healthy, happy friendship and shared custody of their dog. This book #6, sets the record straight about a rumor of who killed a young woman 4 years ago - which makes Sophie interested since the prime subject is her now boyfriend, Wolf, a police detective.
Start with book 1 and work your way up to this book 6 - you won't be disappointed!!

Once again Henderson writes a phenomenal book about the O'Malley clan. This book is about forensic pathologist Lisa O'Malley and U.S. Marshall Quinn Diamond. I swear Henderson has a way of making the men in her books so real that you can picture meeting a man like this. Quinn is strong, quiet, smart and hardworking - a man any woman would want. Lisa is a workaholic who loves the job she does and the youngest of the O'Malley's. I think their love story and their growing faith is what makes this story my favorite so far (that and the fact she reminds me of the tv show BONES). Quinn is also Marcus' partner which makes the story even more interesting in how Quinn courts Lisa and their love grows while under the surveillance of Marcus. All her stories touch your heart and soul but something about their love, really touched mine. Lisa's struggle with her faith because of her past makes you see things from a different perspective and the reasoning of the Resurrection and how it's explained by Henderson is very enlightening.

The more I get to know the O'Malley characters/family, the more I love them. This book was wonderful! Shari and Marcus are perfect for each other and their instant attraction and love shine through each page. An interesting pairing because Shari is a politician and Marcus O'Malley is a U.S. Marshall. This story is wild but plausible and the love and faith they share and that develops is wonderful to read about. I fall in love with the O'Malley clan every time I read another one of their stories. I love reading books where the characters feel real and Henderson delivers every time. I highly recommend this series to anyone who has strong faith, weak faith or looking for their faith.
5 out of 5 stars for sure!!!!!

Monday, June 11, 2012

A great ending to a great series. Marriage, babies and of course the kinky sex! For me, this book was a little more tame with the sex and focused more on why Grey is the way he is and the love that he and Ana share. I really enjoyed reading about his past and seeing him accept the love that Ana and his family have for him. Also, I cried when Ana's dad, Ray, got hurt in an accident. Oh yes, I cried like a little baby! If a book can't provoke some sort of emotion from a reader (anger, sadness, happiness, etc) then what good is it to read? I found myself very intrigued with this whole series and the characters that are in the pages. Grey and Ana are strong lovable characters. I really liked that James included a epilogue at the end and also some stories about Grey growing up, the Christmas story really had me teary eyed. One of the things I did have a problem with was how Ana was so focused on her weight even though she's apparently small. I know women are like that (I mean, I am a woman) but it just aggravated me that she wouldn't eat because she thought she was 'fat'. I guess we all have our vices though.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

The Sugar Queen is such a fun and witty book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Josey is a closet candy and soda lover who hides her obsession of food in her closet. Her obsession with food is evident throughout the story (and it made me very hungry the whole time reading) and Allen incorporates the candy fetish in the titles of her chapters (which I think is brilliant). The story is about love, hate and overcoming obstacles. Josey is a great character and her love interest, Adam, is a great hero who shows her that everyone has someone out there that loves them for who they are. If you have ever had body issues, as a child, teen or as an adult, then this book is definitely for you. Some readers may dislike the parents in this book (I did) because of how set in their ways they are and for the awful advice one of the father's gives the character/ his son, Jake. Another issue that arises is cheating and whether you should or should not tell the person you cheated on (obviously you shouldn't cheat in the first place). But those 2 issues play minor roles when it comes to the whole, big picture. Another interesting part is the 'fairy godmother' who appears to Josey when she needs it the most helping her become her own woman. Also the character Chloe, who has books appear to her when she needs them most (wouldn't that be awesome!) makes this story even better and more interesting.

I picked this book because of the cover. It looked really interesting and so I thought, "hey, why not?" Well, it turns out that this book takes FOREVER to read. It took me almost a month to read it, which is highly unusual for me. It was very hard to get into and stay in it. It's a very long and wordy book, most of the words do not need to be there. I think if the author had cut half or more of the details out, it would have been a better book. I did like the characters though. Meg was a brave and fierce girl, Mr. Dickens was witty and caring, the father (Campion, which I love this name for some reason) was protective and loving like all dads should be, and the brothers were typical brothers. The story sits around the oldest boy, Orion, being taken and missing for 6 months. Meg and Mr Dickens set out on a quest, of sorts, to find him. In their travels, the run into some very unsavory characters, they dress up and take on disguises (as Mr Dickens is a famous man), and lie like rugs. It is a heartwarming story about love of family and saving children, but with ALL the details it's so hard to keep reading. I did like that the author included at the end some background about Charles Dickens' childhood and why the plot of the story was written as so. Very interesting! but again, I don't like TOO much detail- I just want the author to spit out the beginning, middle and end.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

I feel like it's been forever since I posted! Family and friends were in visiting and we've been busy with getting things ready for the baby :) But I have books, books and more books waiting to be read and talked about! So fear not, I am back and ready to read, read, read!!

So now my review:

After you get over all sex and kink (if you can) and stop blushing about all the things that Grey does to Ana (if you can) this story really tells a tale of love..and lust. For some reason, you fall in love with Grey too even after knowing why he is so messed up and why he is the way he is, you still can't help but think 'what a man!'. Ana is a great and lovable character too. She's headstrong, intelligent and beautiful which is why Grey loves her and why the reader loves her too. Because she stands up for herself and those she loves, she brings out the good in Grey, who swears he has no heart or any goodness. E.L. James introduces some CRAZY characters in this second book leaving you on the edge of your seat. The stalker/crazy girl who was once Grey's sub scared the living crap out me because I could only think about her shooting Grey or Ana. Mrs Robinson pissed me off the whole time and every time she opened her mouth I wanted Ana to slap the living daylights out her (a drink in the face in the end, helped a little). I think the worst character introduced was Ana's temporary boss at the publishing agency. What a jerk!! He deserved everything he got and then some! The last chapter leaves you knowing that this jerk will come back and try some more ugliness and pervertedness towards Grey and Ana.
5 out of 5!! Great book!